WTC Final: ‘India’s second innings batting was extremely disappointing,’’ reckons Irfan Pathan

WTC Final: ‘India’s second innings batting was extremely disappointing,’’ reckons Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan and Rishabh Pant

Veteran India cricketer Irfan Pathan slammed the Indian batsmen for disappointing during the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final against New Zealand.

The Virat Kohli-led side suffered a trembling defeat against the Kiwis by eight wickets during the WTC Final. The Kiwis comfortably chased down the target of 139 runs set by the Indians, after a brilliant partnership between skipper Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor.

The cricketer-turned-commentator blamed the Indian batsmen for the defeat at the all-important clash. During a post-match discussion show on Star Sports, Pathan said:

“If we talk about proper cricketing reasons where we went wrong in this match, it was even after the first innings. But after that, the second innings batting was extremely disappointing because the ball was not moving that much in the second innings. So, they could have batted more responsibly there,” Irfan Pathan said.

The 36-year-old also pointed out Rishabh Pant’s irresponsible shot selection during the second innings of the match. The youngster got out while dancing down the pitch against Trent Boult to play a fancy shot, however, he only managed to get a leading edge and Henry Nicholls completed a brilliant running catch.

“I know Rishabh Pant plays very well in a destructive fashion. But destructive batting doesn’t mean that you walk down the wicket to pace bowlers and try to hit them out of the ground. Some responsibility was required,” he added.

‘India lacked an extra batsman and a pace-bowling all-rounder’: Pathan

New Zealand’s fast-bowling all-rounder Kyle Jamieson won the ‘Player of the Match’ award in WTC Final

Irfan Pathan highlighted that a slight shortage of commitment was also seen in the Indian batsmen while they were facing short deliveries. He also talked about the lack of an extra batter as well as a fast-bowling all-rounder in the playing XI.

“I also felt that when they were bowling the bouncers against the Indian batsmen, they were trying to play the pull shot instead of taking it on the body. It means there was a slight shortage of commitment was also seen.

“They played a batsman short. I was saying this even before the Test match started but that is my thinking. Then we do not have a fast-bowling all-rounder like New Zealand have. Getting one in is also slightly difficult,” he signed off.

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